'Misleading, ill-informed': Govt dismisses media report linking pneumonia cases in AIIMS Delhi to China

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Seven bacterial cases were detected at AIIMS Delhi between April and September but they have no link whatsoever to the recent surge in respiratory infections in children reported from some parts of the world, including China, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

The seven cases were detected as part of an ongoing study at AIIMS Delhi during the six-month period (April to September) and there "is no cause for worry".

"A recent media report in a national daily has claimed that AIIMS Delhi has detected seven bacterial cases linked to the recent surge in pneumonia cases in China. The news report is ill-informed and provides misleading information," the ministry said in a statement.

"It is clarified that these seven cases have no link whatsoever to the recent surge in respiratory infections in children reported from some parts of the world, including China," it said.

So far this year, Mycoplasma pneumonia has not been detected in any of the 611 samples tested at the Department of Microbiology, AIIMS Delhi as part of the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) multiple respiratory pathogen surveillance, which included mainly severe acute respiratory illness (SARI, which comprised about 95 per cent of these cases) by real-time PCR.

Mycoplasma pneumonia is the commonest bacterial cause of community-acquired pneumonia. It is the reason for nearly 15-30 per cent of all such infections.

"Such a surge has not been reported from any part of India. The Union health ministry is in touch with state health authorities and is keeping a close watch on the situation on an everyday basis," the statement said.

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